Denel 35mm Dual Purpose Gun
Encyclopedia
The Denel 35mm Dual Purpose Gun (35DPG) is a close-in weapon system
(CIWS) for warships made in South Africa
by Denel Land Systems. It is currently in service on the Valour class frigate
s of the South African Navy
.
is unacceptable.
turret. Target acquisition is by the ship's search and track radar, while an optronic
tracking system with infrared
and visible spectrum
modes provides fire-control. A control console is located in the ship's operations room, although the system operates automatically in the air-defence mode. An emergency control panel is fitted on the rear of the turret. The turret does not penetrate the deck on which it is mounted. On the Valour class frigates it is mounted on top of the helicopter hangar.
The turret is fully self-contained and requires only an electrical supply and a radar data feed from the ship's combat management system and the control console. The turret is capable of unlimited full circle traverse at up to 70° per second and elevates from 10° below to 85° above horizontal at up to 40° per second.
The turret's on-board computers do the ballistic calculations
and fire-control
. The system requires only real-time three-dimensional target information from the ship's combat management and tracking systems. The high level of self-containment and compact size and low weight allows installation on a wide variety of ships down to as small as 200 tonnes.
The system's anti-missile capability is further enhanced by adding Denel's Closed Loop Fire Correction System, which tracks projectiles all the way to the target. This allows for real-time correction of bias errors in the control system and compensation for atmospheric conditions.
Close-in weapon system
A close-in weapon system , often pronounced sea-whiz, is a naval shipboard point-defense weapon for detecting and destroying at short range incoming anti-ship missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defenses....
(CIWS) for warships made in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
by Denel Land Systems. It is currently in service on the Valour class frigate
Valour class frigate
The South African Valour class frigates are the major surface ships of the South African Navy. Their German manufacturer designates these warships as the MEKO A-200SAN class, member of its MEKO family of naval ships...
s of the South African Navy
South African Navy
The South African Navy is the navy of the Republic of South Africa.-Formation:The South African Navy can trace its official origins back to the SA Naval Service, which was established on 1 April 1922....
.
Role
Its primary role is to defend against attack by helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and missiles. It has a secondary role against surface vessels and shore targets, both in symmetrical and asymmetrical warfare and also in law enforcement where accuracy is critical because collateral damageCollateral damage
Collateral damage is damage to people or property that is unintended or incidental to the intended outcome. The phrase is prevalently used as an euphemism for civilian casualties of a military action.-Etymology:...
is unacceptable.
Design
The system consists of two GA35 rapid-fire automatic cannons mounted side by side in an unmanned low radar observableStealth
Stealth may refer to:*Stealth technology, technology used to conceal ships, aircraft, and missiles*Stealth aircraft, aircraft which use stealth technology*Stealth ground vehicle, ground vehicles which use stealth technology...
turret. Target acquisition is by the ship's search and track radar, while an optronic
Optoelectronics
Optoelectronics is the study and application of electronic devices that source, detect and control light, usually considered a sub-field of photonics. In this context, light often includes invisible forms of radiation such as gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet and infrared, in addition to visible light...
tracking system with infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
and visible spectrum
Visible spectrum
The visible spectrum is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that is visible to the human eye. Electromagnetic radiation in this range of wavelengths is called visible light or simply light. A typical human eye will respond to wavelengths from about 390 to 750 nm. In terms of...
modes provides fire-control. A control console is located in the ship's operations room, although the system operates automatically in the air-defence mode. An emergency control panel is fitted on the rear of the turret. The turret does not penetrate the deck on which it is mounted. On the Valour class frigates it is mounted on top of the helicopter hangar.
The turret is fully self-contained and requires only an electrical supply and a radar data feed from the ship's combat management system and the control console. The turret is capable of unlimited full circle traverse at up to 70° per second and elevates from 10° below to 85° above horizontal at up to 40° per second.
The turret's on-board computers do the ballistic calculations
External ballistics
External ballistics is the part of the science of ballistics that deals with the behaviour of a non-powered projectile in flight. External ballistics is frequently associated with firearms, and deals with the behaviour of the bullet after it exits the barrel and before it hits the target.-Forces...
and fire-control
Fire-control system
A fire-control system is a number of components working together, usually a gun data computer, a director, and radar, which is designed to assist a weapon system in hitting its target. It performs the same task as a human gunner firing a weapon, but attempts to do so faster and more...
. The system requires only real-time three-dimensional target information from the ship's combat management and tracking systems. The high level of self-containment and compact size and low weight allows installation on a wide variety of ships down to as small as 200 tonnes.
Ammunition
The cannons fire the full range of NATO standard 35×228 mm ammunition; HEI, HEI-T, SAPHEI, APCI-T, Prac and Prac-T; all manufactured by Rheinmetall Denel Munition's PMP division.Anti-missile
In the anti-missile role it uses Advanced Hit Efficiency And Destruction (AHEAD) ammunition from RWM Schweiz AG. This round ejects 152 tungsten projectiles at a predetermined distance, between 40 and 10 m, from the target. A 25-round burst of AHEAD rounds produces 3,800 of these small projectiles to destroy the incoming missile. Cruise missiles can be destroyed at 2.5 km and high speed missiles at 1.5 km range.The system's anti-missile capability is further enhanced by adding Denel's Closed Loop Fire Correction System, which tracks projectiles all the way to the target. This allows for real-time correction of bias errors in the control system and compensation for atmospheric conditions.
External links
- DLS 35mm DPG Naval Turret - Manufacturer's official website.
See also
- Oerlikon Millennium 35 mm Naval Revolver Gun SystemOerlikon Millennium 35 mm Naval Revolver Gun SystemThe Oerlikon Millennium 35mm Naval Gun System is a Close-in weapon system designed by Oerlikon for mounting on ships. It is based on the new Oerlikon 35 mm revolver cannon land based Air defense system, and uses AHEAD ammunition...
comparable Swiss-German system.